"Averon Solkara. The Lord of the Solkara race. A Transcendent Talent holder," she said.
"He’s not my subordinate. There’s no way he’s just going to follow me into a meeting like that when following me means accepting that they are my subordinate," Isaac said.
"He isn’t your subordinate yet, so you need to make him one. You cannot afford to let him remain independent anymore. He is too valuable, and there’s another reason as well to make him your subordinate. I don’t think I need to explain that part to you," she said.
Isaac didn’t respond immediately.
He knew exactly what she meant.
Right now, he wasn’t just another City Lord. He was an asset. A rare one. The kind other Lords would fight over without hesitation.
The Florathi had already shown their stance that morning. They didn’t see him as an equal. They saw him as something to be taken, shaped, controlled.
If they couldn’t take him directly, they would go around him.
Other Lords would do the same.
They could surround his city by taking control of nearby territories. They could restrict movement, limit hunting grounds, choke the growth of his awakeners.
They didn’t need open attacks, or anything too obvious. They would use under-handed tricks to pressure him and make staying independent unbearable for him.
Averon’s city would be their target as well. Hs City was close to Isaac’s. Too close.
They would gain control over his City, and other nearby Cities, and use those places to harass Isaac.
If Isaac didn’t pull Averon in, someone else would.
And once that happened, the situation would turn much worse.
"We need allies, Isaac. The apocalypse is dangerous, the monsters are dangerous... but don’t underestimate the other Lords. Some of them are worse," Eleanor said.
"I understand."
Isaac gave a small nod, his expression serious now.
"Good. I’ve already arranged a meeting with Averon for you. Time is limited, so don’t waste it. Bring him under you, no matter what. You should be able to handle that, right? You’ve learned quite a bit during the Trial." She turned slightly, as if concluding the matter.
"Yes, I can—"
He stopped.
How did she know what he learned in the Trial?
’Did sis tell her?’
That was the most reasonable explanation. It had to be.
Because if Eleanor actually remembered what happened in the Trial...
...then there was no way she would be standing in front of him this calmly.
Isaac stared at her. He was too curious. Unable to hold back his curiosity anymore, he used Inspect on her.
The familiar screen appeared in front of him.
Name: Eleanor Weiss
Age: 167
Rating: 97
Personality: Dignified, Unbreakable Will, Pervert (New)
Likes: Swordsmanship, honest and hardworking people, challenges, collecting swords, Voyeurism (New)
Dislikes: Laziness, complacency, arrogance without strength, unnecessary violence, disrespecting the "Sword," being called old, Isaac (New)
Status 1: Worried about your, and her new family’s safety. The meeting with the Lords can be very dangerous.
Status 2: In denial of her new ’interests.’ Hates her new ’interests.’
Isaac froze.
For a moment, he didn’t even blink.
Normally, he skimmed over everything except Status, but this time...
’What... is this?’
His eyes moved over the lines again, slower.
’She gained a new personality... and it’s [Pervert]?’
His gaze dropped further.
’Likes... Voyeurism?’
And then—
’Dislikes... Isaac?’
A dull headache started forming at the back of his head.
He had wanted to confirm something ’simple.’
Instead, it felt like he had opened something he really shouldn’t have.
His eyes lingered on the word "interests" in the Status.
He exhaled quietly.
’Interests means... watching others during their private moments, right?’
Isaac slowly lifted his gaze from the screen and looked at Sword Empress— no, Eleanor with a strange gaze.
The same composed expression. The same steady posture.
Nothing about her outward appearance matched what he had just read.
But the Status screen wouldn’t lie.
’Did she gain these strange interests because she had been single for over a century, and the loneliness ended up twisting her tastes?’
The Sword Empress.
A woman who had stood at the peak for over a century. Someone whose name alone could make enemies tremble.
And now—
’She likes... that ?’
Isaac opened his mouth, then closed it again.
There wasn’t a good way to approach this.
’You know what...’
He straightened slightly.
’I didn’t see anything. It’s not my problem if I don’t know about it.’
’Out of my sight, out of my life.’
He could live with that.
But the one line still bothered him.
She disliked him now.
That part he couldn’t ignore.
Then again... he could guess why she disliked him.
’She gained a new interest—voyeurism—and she is in denial. She doesn’t want to accept that she is a pervert, so she is blaming me for showing her those things.’
’How is this my fault?’
He hadn’t even known she was watching.
And if she hated it that much, maybe she should stop doing it in the first place.
"Why are you still standing here. Go and meet Averon," Eleanor said, breaking his thoughts.
"...I’m going."
He turned and walked away.
Alice and Avery remained behind with Eleanor. He asked them to stay with her. He needed a moment alone to clear his head.
As he walked down the corridor, his thoughts gradually settled.
’She’s in denial.’
That much was clear.
’As long as enough time passes, she’ll come to terms with it.’
And once she did, the misplaced dislike toward him would probably disappear. Of course, it would take time.
At least, that was the most logical outcome.
Unless something drastic happened to make her accept her new ’interests’ soon.
Isaac frowned slightly.
’I’m not going to try to help her accept her interests faster.’
Whatever internal struggle she was dealing with, he wasn’t going to step into it.
He had enough to handle already.
By the time he reached the meeting room, his expression had returned to normal.
Two guards stood outside.
They were familiar faces.
Solkara guards.
Isaac recognized them immediately. They had arrived with Averon before... and they had also been part of the group he beaten back then.
Both guards straightened slightly when they saw him.
"Greetings, Lord Isaac."
Their tone was respectful. They opened the door without hesitation.
Isaac stepped inside.
The room was large, and opulent.
Averon Solkara was already there, seated, with Simraj, his advisor, standing slightly behind him.
The moment Averon saw Isaac, he shot to his feet.
"You! Give me my money! How shameless can you be to scam me like this?" Averon snapped, his voice rising immediately.
"...What are you talking about?" Isaac asked.
"Don’t play dumb!" he shouted. "Your wife—Emily—she tamed those Blazing Pterodactyl spirits! Those were mine! I killed them in the Great Dungeon!"
"What are you talking about?" Isaac asked with an innocent expression.
For a moment, it looked like Averon might actually cough up blood from anger.
"You—!" He pointed at Isaac. "You livestreamed her Lord Quest! Everyone saw it! Those three Blazing Pterodactyl! They are the monsters I killed! I brought their corpses out of the Great Dungeon! You owe me for them! Pay me!"
Isaac blinked once.
The accusation came fast, loud, and filled with just enough confidence that it might have worked on someone else.
He didn’t react immediately.
Instead, he looked at Averon with confidence. "Do you have any proof?"
"What?" Averon asked, stunned.
"Proof that those three were killed by you?" Isaac asked.
"I know how the monsters I killed looked like—"
"Well, all Blazing Pterodactyles look the same. You are probably mistaken," Isaac said.
Averon was stunned. Anger instantly dissipated from his face, replaced by sheer stupefaction.
In truth, Averon wasn’t angry. He knew that it was his fault for being scammed.
The reason he acted angry was to extort money out of Isaac. Was this behavior shameless? Yes. But so what? He would rather be rich than prideful.
However, Isaac turned out to be even more shameless than him.
Let alone paying good compensation or bad compensation, he straight-up denied those monsters being Averon’s kill.
One had to know Isaac was filthy rich right now, at least by Averon’s City’s comparison. He could have easily paid the compensation.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Isaac asked.
"...have I ever told you that I hate you?" Averon asked.
"You told me that during our first meeting. Then, you got beaten black and blue for what you said," Isaac replied.
On the side, Simraj’s lips twitched. He almost laughed, but he held it back, lowering his head slightly as if adjusting his posture.
Averon let out a breath and dropped back into the sofa. The energy he had walked in with was gone now, replaced by something closer to resignation.
"Sigh, I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Just tell me why you arranged this meeting, then get out," Averon said, sitting on the sofa like a deflated ballon.
"Aren’t you going to join the Lord meeting, right now?" Isaac asked instead of answering as he sat across the table.
One of the Solkara guards stepped forward at the right time and placed tea on the table. The movement was quiet and practiced, and within seconds, he stepped back again, leaving the two of them facing each other.
"Are you asking because you don’t know, or are you actually clueless?" Averon asked.
Isaac shrugged, even though he knew the answer.
Averon stared at him for a few seconds, then let out another sigh.
"There are many Lords who have come here today. But only five will join you at the meeting. These fives are the strongest in our region. They are just below the Florathi. If small Lords like me attend the meeting with them, they will see it as a slap to their face, and then..."
He stopped there for a moment. His expression shifted slightly, as if he was recalling something from the past.
"Then, the best case scenario is that they will restrict your trade routes, and worst case scerio is that they will make you a Slave City," Averon ended.
He leaned forward a little, resting his elbow on his knee as he spoke.
Restricting trade routes wasn’t complicated for powerful Lords. Influence alone was enough. A word passed to the right people, a deal struck behind the scenes, and suddenly no one wanted to trade with you. In a world where resources were scarce, that kind of isolation was enough to destroy a City without a single battle.
Not every City could support itself. Not every City had land, skills, or abilities like Isaac’s.
And a Slave City...
That was worse.
The City would remain standing, its people alive, but everything they produced would be taken regularly under the excuse of trade or protection tax.
The Lords who now controlled them wouldn’t conquer the City, but instead keep it alive to suck out the benefits from them regularly.
This way, they wouldn’t need to treat the new citizens as their own citizens and give them welfare benefits, and if the Slave City fell, the Lords wouldn’t face any problem.
"So you are scared of these Lords?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. I am not going to do anything stupid that will put the life of my people in danger," Averon grunted.
"Says the person who attacked me on our first meeting, without knowing our military strength," Isaac replied.
Averon’s expression tightened. That memory wasn’t a good one.
Back then, he had acted without thinking things through. Emotion had taken over, and he paid for it. That didn’t need to be said out loud.
Of course, he had leaned from the experience. But that didn’t change the fact that Isaac was poking where it hurt.
Ignoring Averon’s expression that said he had eaten something bad, Isaac leaned forward, and said, "Become a Sub-Lord under me. You can join the meeting that way."
The room went quiet.
Averon didn’t react at first. He simply looked at Isaac, trying to decide whether this was serious or not.
"...is this supposed to be a funny joke?" Averon finally asked.
"It’s not a joke," Isaac replied.
"....I want to insult you, but instead of wasting time, let’s be direct. Why do you think we will serve under you? There have been plenty Lords who wanted me to work for them. I refused all of them, and those that tried to force me, I’ve defeated all of them," Averon said.
"The ones you defeated were near your City. They were not strong Lords," Isaac replied.
"Strong or weak. That doesn’t change the fact that I did defeat multiple Lords." Averon said, then chuckled, "I can’t believe someone who hasn’t been a Lord for even half a month dares to call other Lords weak. You are just a newbie."
"A newbie who defeated two Catastrophes," Isaac replied.
This time, Averon didn’t laugh.
The words settled heavily in the space between them.
He knew it was true.
Isaac’s City wasn’t normal. The combination of several abilities alone made it stand out. Emily’s ability to tame spirits of dead monsters, no matter their rank. Saintess Alice’s overpowered healing skills. Isaac’s 100%+ Drop rate Talent. Catherine, SSS rank Farming.
The potential, combat power and financial power of Isaac’s City was no joke.
Moreover, Averon had a feeling that Isaac had more trump cards he was not revealing.